posted on: Wednesday, September 29, 2010

"We won't know the sex of our baby until the day of his or her birth" explained dad-to-be, Johann. "So I wanted to create a nursery with a reoccurring theme that was gender-neutral. Since our baby will be born this year, the Chinese Year of the Tiger, I wanted to express this theme in a compelling yet unique way."

Johann designed, printed and framed all the graphics throughout the room, as well as painted the collection of thrifted frames.

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Bold, crisp and surprising. Dad-to-be, Johann, is a graphic designerwho applied his artistic eye to come up with a truly individual space that is high on sophistication and low on cutesy. Mum-to-be, Jamee, blogs about her pregnancy journey here and (naturally!) loves the space too.

who lives here?Baby "J" (name yet to be announced), will. Baby J is due to arrive on October 27th, 2010 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

décorMost items were created and/or repurposed by Johann. The curtains were made using Majken fabric in white/light gray/orange from Ikea, the alphabet and silhouette art were designed and printed by Johann A. Gómez and the picture frames and mirror were collected from various second-hand shops then spray-painted.

diy Johann and Jamee used several repurposed pieces of furniture to complete the room including the discontinued Ikea drawers that were modified with paint and new graphics, and the change table that is a decade old Ikea piece that was originally a shelving unit.

renovate"Originally the space was an open loft," Johann explained. "We wanted to convert it into a nursery and contracted a good friend of ours, Brian Burnside of Burnside Renovations to build up the walls to the ceiling and make the room an enclosed space."

best buys"The best bargains I found were the little treasures in second-hand shops like the ornate picture frames."

The happy parents-to-be, Jamee and Johann.

baby space faveThe white frames throughout the room. Such a simple idea, and the formation above the cot creates a wonderful focal point.

top tipsJohann says, "Whether or not you know the sex of your baby, you can still design a room that is a creative, stimulating environment for your child. One of the main points we wanted to illustrate with this design is that there are more colors for baby rooms than just the standard pink and blue. Even trendy neutrals (like green and yellow) are in danger of being overused at this point. That’s why I wanted to show that colors like gray, orange and even midnight blue could be used to create a welcoming space for you little one regardless of gender. My advice: don’t be afraid to explore ideas that are out of the box and aren’t the standard “baby” designs. Embrace cultures, traditions and motifs outside your own. Seek out new and interesting inspiration to make the space unique and personal. The idea is to create a room that is special and a wonderful place for baby to come home to."

Thanks Johann and Jamee for sharing your new nursery space with Baby Space!

What an amazing space for baby! You know what I love? All the graphical elements to the room, and the fact that it's 2 colours: black and tangerine. It's something that will catch the baby's attention and give mom & dad a break for a few mo'. Hope you added those fantastic prints near the change table as it keeps baby occupied while parents get the wonderful task of changing baby diapers. heehee. Great job! Man, I wish I was the baby...